Women's Basketball Hosts UCLA, USC in Homestand

Both games played at Bank of America Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion (10,000), Seattle

This WeekWashington (7-5, 2-1) returns home and seeks its first back-to-back victories of the season when it hosts a pair of Pac-10 Conference games at Bank of America Arena (10,000) at Hec Edmundson Pavilion. First up is UCLA (4-8, 1-3) at 7 p.m., Fri., Jan. 4 and next is USC at 7 p.m., Sun., Jan. 6.

The USC game time was changed to 7 p.m. to accommodate the Seattle Seahawks' game at Husky Stadium at 1 p.m. Sunday afternoon.

Washington is coming off its first Pac-10 road trip where it earned a split, falling first at Oregon (69-56) and then winning at Oregon State (74-58). On the heels of an 81-50 loss at Stanford, the Bruins snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 64-48 win at California. The Women of Troy are also coming off a weekend split, winning at California (69-53) and losing at Stanford (78-66).

Washington finished the non-conference portion of its schedule with a record of 5-4, posting victories over Montana State (overtime), Northeastern, Boise State, St. Mary's and Indiana and falling to Wisconsin, Santa Clara, Northeastern and No. 16 Michigan.

With the advent of the first Pac-10 Conference Postseason Tournament, which runs March 1-4, the conference season opened a full two weeks earlier than usual. The tournament, held on the University of Oregon's campus, will include all 10 conference teams, with the winner receiving the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Televison/RadioThe UCLA and USC games can be heard on the radio at KKNW 1150 am and on the internet via www.gohuskies.com. Steve Sandmeyer calls the action on radio. There is no television for either game this weekend.

Closing in on 1,000Junior guard Loree Payne's 26-point outburst at Oregon State Dec. 30 moved her career scoring close to a significant milestone. After coming off the bench at OSU and scoring a season-high 26 points, she currently has a career total of 986 points. She needs 14 points to reach 1,000 and become the 17th Husky player to reach that plateau. Payne, who currently leads the Huskies with 14.9 points per game, could become just the ninth Husky to reach the 1,000-point mark as a junior. She was preceded by former teammate Megan Franza, who crossed the barrier as a junior during the 1999-00 season. A prolific scorer since she arrived two years ago, Payne holds the UW freshman scoring record with 521 points in the 1999-00 season. She tied Franza's record for three point baskets in a game, with seven, against No. 16 Michigan, Dec. 9. She has three games of 20+ points so far this season.

Defending ChampionsThis year marks the third time a Washington team has entered the conference season as defending Pac-10 champions. Along with the 2001 campaign, the Huskies won Pac-10 titles in 1988 and 1990. They posted a league mark of 16-2 and an overall record of 25-5 to win Washington's first title in 1988. In 1990, the Huskies had a record of 17-1 in conference play and shared the title with Standford. The 1990 season was Washington's best ever as they finished with an overall record of 28-3 after advancing to the elite eight of the NCAA tournament. Last season saw the Huskies finish with a Pac-10 record of 12-6 and share the conference crown with Stanford and Arizona State.

Weekend HighlightsKayla Burt, who played last weekend for the first time since Nov. 23, passed out five assists in the OSU game ... Andrea Lalum grabbed five steals at OSU ... at OSU, Cheryl Sorenson made her first career start and Kellie O'Neill was in the starting lineup for the first time since playing at Arizona last year (Jan. 11, 2001) ... the win gave coach June Daugherty her 50th Pac-10 win since arriving six years ago.

On the RoadWashington came away from its first Pac-10 road trip with a split, losing first at Oregon (69-56) and then winning at Oregon State (74-58). The Huskies posting a mark of 2-2 in non-conference road games. They won their season-opener in overtime at Montana State (73-65) but followed that with an 87-67 setback at Wisconsin. A split in the Bay Area rounded out the non-conference road season, with a win at St. Mary's (62-55) and a loss at San Francisco (72-68). The win at Oregon State was also Washington's first win in the second game of a two-game weekend series this season.

A Quick Glance at the HuskiesWashington, which entered the year ranked No. 19 in the AP's Preseason Poll, opened its season on the road, splitting games with an overtime win (73-65) at Montana State and loss (87-7) at Wisconsin. They followed with another split in the first home weekend, pounding Northeastern (81-42) in the first round of the Seattle Times Classic but falling, 71-56, to Santa Clara in the championship game. A 99-50 drubbing of Boise State boosted the Huskies' confidence before heading on the Bay Area road trip. Washington posted a road split to a pair of West Coast Conference schools last weekend, first defeating Saint Mary's (62-55) and then falling to San Francisco (72-68) before hosting the inaugural Pac-10/Big Ten Challenge. The Huskies avenged a season-opening overtime loss at Indiana last year with an 85-73 win over the Hoosiers in the first round. Six Huskies scored in double figures to give Washington its third home win of the young season. The second game of the Challenge came against 16th-ranked Michigan and the Wolverines, led by center LeeAnn Bies' career-high 27 points, came up with the one-point victory, 71-70. Husky junior Loree Payne tied a school record with seven three point field goals while the Huskies broke the school record for long range attempts with 36.

Listen to the HuskiesAll Husky women's basketball games can be heard on the radio at KKNW 1150 am. Steve Sandmeyer is in his third season calling the action for Washington. Games can also be heard over the internet by logging onto http://www.gohuskies.com and following the links from there.

Did You Know ... Washington's all-time won-loss record stands at 531-260 (.673).

Schedule Changes There have been some minor changes made to the 2001-02 schedule. The Jan. 19 game against Stanford at home has been changed to a 3:00 p.m. start for television coverage by Fox Sports Northwest. On Feb. 16 when the Huskies take on California in Berkeley, tip-off will be at 1:00 p.m., not 7 p.m., the original time slot. The Jan. 6 game against USC at home has been changed to a 7 p.m. tip on Jan. 6, instead of the orginal 1 p.m. time. The game was rescheduled due to a makeup game for the Seahawks, who are playing at Husky Stadium that afternoon. Also, the Huskies' game AT UCLA has been moved to an 11 a.m. start Feb. 3, to accomodate Fox Sports Net. The game will be televised to a national audience at that time.

Three Point BarrageThe Huskies, who shattered Pac-10 three point field goal marks last year, have connected on 87 long range baskets this season, good for second in the conference behind Stanford. The Huskies are hitting 33 percent of their shots from three point range (87-260). Washington recently broke its school record for three point attempts in a game with 36 versus Michigan (made 11). Last year, the Huskies set Pac-10 Conference marks for three point field goals made in a season (237), attempted in a season (713) and three pointers in a game (16 vs. Stanford).

Weekend RecapGame 12 - Washington 74, at Oregon State 58 (Dec. 30) - Loree Payne scored 26 points as Washington beat Oregon State, 74-58, in the second game of its Pac-10 road trip. Andrea Lalum added 15 points and a game-best nine rebounds for the Huskies. Felicia Ragland led Oregon State with 26 points, while Hollye Chapman scored 17 points. Payne, who came off the bench for the first time in the season, made nine of 20 shots, including 5-of-12 from the 3-point line en route to her best scoring output of the year. Washington coach June Daugherty changed to a bigger starting line up after being outrebounded 48-28 in a 69-56 loss at Oregon two nights earlier. The Huskies outrebounded Oregon State, 43-33. Washington, second in the conference in 3-pointers made, hit 11-of-25 from behind the arc, made all nine of their free throws and forced 23 turnovers. The Beavers, who held Washington State to conference lows of 17 percent shooting and 33 points, allowed Washington to shoot 41 percent from the field. After Oregon State got to within two points early in the second half, the Huskies went on a 12-0 run capped by five points from Payne to take a 49-35 lead with 13:35 to play. The Beavers closed the score to 62-54 before Payne hit a 3-pointer with 3:41 remaining to put the game away.

Game 11 - at Oregon 69, Washington 56 (Dec. 28) - Sparked by Jamie Craighead's seven 3-pointers, Oregon won Friday night over Washington, 69-56, before a season-high 4,791 fans at McArthur Court. The Ducks, who have defeated Washington 12 straight times, improved its record to 7-5 and 2-1 in Pac-10 play. The Huskies dropped to 6-5, 1-1. Craighead drilled 7-of-11 from downtown to tie her career high for 3-pointers and points with 21. Oregon freshman Andrea Bills and sophomore Cathrine Kraayeveld also had career nights. Bills scored 13 of her career-best 18 points in the first half along with grabbing a career-high eight rebounds in 23 minutes. Oregon dominated the boards with 48 compared to Washington's 28. Oregon took its final lead at 28-25 following a Craighead 3-pointer with 2:53 left before halftime. The Ducks extended their advantage to 58-40 with 9:03 remaining in the game before the Huskies went on a 14-3 run behind five points from Loree Payne. But Oregon countered with five points from Bills and a desperation 22-foot 3-pointer by Shaquala Williams (13 points) with time running out on the shot clock, increasing the lead to 65-54 with 2:31 left. Kristen O'Neill led the Huskies with 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting while Emily Autrey added 11.

Dawgbite: Washington's victory over Northeastern in the Seattle Times Classic Nov. 24 made sixth-year Husky head coach June Daugherty the second-winningest coach at Washington. Daugherty, who led the Huskies to their furthest point in the NCAA tournament last year, has a record of 88-71 at Washington. Former coach Chris Gobrecht, who led the Huskies from 1985-96, is the leader with 243 wins against 89 losses in her tenure. Daugherty is the seventh women's head basketball coach at Washington. She passed Kathie Neir (1975-79) when she moved to No. 2.

About the UCLA BruinsOn the heels of an 81-50 loss at Stanford, the Bruins snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 64-48 win at California. The team is without leading scorer Michelle Greco, who was averaging 23.6 points per game before being declared out for the season for medical reasons. Leading the way now is Kristee Porter (10.8 ppg), a three-sport star in volleyball, basketball and track for the Bruins. Coach Kathy Olivier is in her ninth season at UCLA and has a career record of 125-116 in that span.

The Husky-Bruin SeriesWashington leads the all-time series with UCLA, 21-11. The two teams split last season, with UW defeating UCLA, 73-54 in Seattle and the Bruins winning, 81-56, in Los Angeles to end the regular season last year.

About the Women of TroyUSC is coming off a weekend split, winning at California (69-53) and losing at Stanford (78-66). The Trojans, picked to finish third in the Pac-10 behind Washington, have four players averaging double figure scoring, Aisha Hollans (17.8), Ebony Hoffman (14.7), Tiffany Elmore (12.3) and Rachel Woodward (10.2). The recent loss at Stanford snapped a four-game win streak. The USC schedule is loaded this season as the Trojans have played at Tennessee, versus Florida and Texas and at defending national champion Notre Dame. USC is coached by Chris Gobrecht, who was head coach at Washington from 1985-96. She has a five-year record of 55-70 at USC and a career record of 387-273 in 23 years overall.

The Husky-Trojan SeriesWashington holds a slim 17-13 lead in the all-time series with USC. The teams split last year, with each winning at home. UW defeated USC, 91-79, in three overtime periods in Seattle and USC won, 88-76, in Los Angeles.

Point the Way: It's still early but freshman Kristen O'Neill has steadily emerged as a capable floor leader. O'Neill, a 6-foot guard, moved into the starting lineup against Indiana, Dec. 7 and has been there since. She is averaging 22 minutes per game and has proved adept at handling point guard duties behind Giuliana Mendiola as well as rotating at shooting guard. O'Neill is shooting nearly 50 percent from the floor (26-53) and several times has come up with clutch baskets late in the game. She was the leading scorer for Washington at Oregon, with 13 points on 5-of-7 from the field, including 3-of-3 from long range.

Steady as She Goes: Often overlooked on the stat sheet, redshirt junior Cheryl Sorenson is one of the Huskies' most consistent players. A versatile guard/forward, she made her first career start at Oregon State last Sunday and played 29 minutes in the victory. Sorenson, from Milwaukie, Ore., is averaging 4.2 rebounds per game, making her a valuable figure in Washington's attempt to control the boards. She isaveraging 19 minutes a game and is adept at coming off the bench and breaking down the opponents' defense. Sorenson also gives the Huskies, who have just one senior on the roster, a four-year player who knows the system. She pulled down a career-high 10 rebounds at St. Mary's, a figure that included six offensive boards.

Injury Update: Freshman guard Kayla Burt was plagued by a stress fracture in her left foot and had been out since Nov. 24. She has returned to practice last week and played in the Oregon and Oregon State games last weekend. Prior to the Oregon game, the last game she played was against Northeastern, Nov. 23. Sophomore guard Gioconda Mendiola has a stress fracture in her lower right leg. She will be out four to six weeks (beginning Dec. 7). The last game she played was at USF. Alicia Heathcote also has a stress fracture in her foot and will be out approximately four weeks. All other Huskies are healthy entering the week.

Double Digits: Washington currently has three players averaging double figure scoring, led by junior Loree Payne's 14.9 points per game. Sophomore Andrea Lalum and junior Emily Autrey are right behind, with 13.7 and 11.3 points per game, respectively. Sophomore point guard Giuliana Mendiola trails just behind with 9.9 points per game while passing out a team-best 62 assists so far. Coach Daugherty continues to emphasize the depth of her bench, constantly rotating fresh players in and out of the game. The strategy was a key element of the team that advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament last year and continues to be a source of strength this season.

Memorials: The Washington basketball team is wearing a black memorial stripe on their uniforms this season. The stripe, which has the number 16 on it, is in memory of the 16 Husky fans who lost their lives in a plane crash in Mexico Sept. 12, 2001. The fans were on a side-trip of a Husky fan cruise to the Miami-Washington football game that had been scheduled for Sept. 15. In addition, the team is wearing an American flag on the back of their jerseys to remember victims of the events of Sept. 11.

A Glance at the Huskies Coming off of a season in which the Huskies posted a 22-10 overall record, earned a share of the Pac-10 title, and advanced all the way to the Elite Eight, the 2001-02 team has high expectations for 2002. Washington opened its 28th season of women's basketball with three of its five starters returning, five additional letterwinners who have seen extensive playing time, a key redshirt and five talented newcomers. Leading scorer Megan Franza, who finished her career sixth in the school record books with 1,612 points, is gone along with LeAnn Sheets who averaged almost seven rebounds a game in 2001. Four other seniors graduated as well, but the Husky game plan has not skipped a beat. The team is young but talented and experienced. The Huskies featured a deep rotation that saw every player on the bench get in the game last year. This season should be no different.

Top TurnaroundsWashington had several impressive turnarounds last year. First and foremost was the Pac-10 swing, from an 8-22 record and ninth place finish in 1999-00, to a 22-10 overall record, 12-6 conference mark and a share of the Pac-10 championship in 2001. The conference swing was the greatest in league history. It was also the second-best turnaround in the country, from one season to the next (behind Baylor). Washington also posted the second-largest turnaround in home game attendance from one year to the next. The Huskies drew 2,338 fans per game in 2000 and saw that number jump to 4,179 per game in 2001. Overall, Washington stood 19th in the country in average attendance.

Leading the WayFour members of the Washington team will act as captains this year. Heather Reichmann, the lone senior on the squad, earned captain duties for the first time in her career. She will be joined by juniors Loree Payne and Cheryl Sorenson, along with sophomore Giuliana Mendiola. It is Payne's second year as a captain.

The ScheduleWashington faces its usual tough schedule in the 2001-02 campaign, with 10 of its 19 opponents having played in the postseason. The Huskies face six teams that were selected to the NCAA tournament, along with four teams that competed in NIT postseason play. Conference opponents Stanford, Arizona State and Oregon all made Big Dance appearances, with the Cardinal the only team to advance past the first round.

Sister Act IIIn a unique twist, the 2001-02 Husky roster boasts two sets of sisters, including sophomores Giuliana and Gioconda Mendiola, along with junior Kellie O'Neill and her sister Kristen O'Neill, a freshman this year. The Mendiolas are one year apart in age, almost to the day, but Gioconda took a year off between high school graduation and college so that she could play four years of college ball with her sister. The only other pair of sisters to play together at Washington were Heidi (1993-96) and Molly Hills (1996-99), who overlapped the 1996 season.

Special KThe five newcomers to this year's team are all local standouts from the greater Northwest area, furthering Washington's dominance in recruiting out of their own backyard. The group is led by a trio of the top players in the state, along with a pair of walk-on members. Kirsten Brockman, a forward out of Snohomish, Wash., (Snohomish H.S.) was among the top 10 scorers in the state her junior season and a Street and Smith's honorable mention All-America selection. One of four guards to join the team this season, Kayla Burt from Arlington, Wash., (Arlington H.S.) is expected to continue the long-line of Husky greats at this position. Ranked No. 94 among the top 750 seniors in the class of 2001, Burt was also a Street and Smith's honorable mention All-America selection, along with garnering USA Today honorable mention All-America honors. Kristen O'Neill out of Edmonds, Wash., (Meadowdale H.S.) joins the team as a Parade Magazine third team All-American, Gatorade Player of the Year in the state, and ranked 38th for the national class of 2001. O'Neill comes to Washington as the top recruit out of the state, finishing her prep career 1,154 points, 516 rebounds, 342 steals and 185 blocks. Two walk-ons, Sara Best from Redmond, Wash., (Inglemoor H.S.) and Alicia Heathcote out of Seattle, Wash. (Blanchet/North Seattle CC) will also compete for playing time. Best was a two-sport athlete at the University of Idaho, where she played one year of soccer and redshirted her freshman season of basketball under former Husky Hilary Recknor. Heathcote was a member of the Blanchet High team that won the state championship her sophomore season and made return trips to the tournament in 1997 and 1998, earning third and second place, respectively. The 2001 Husky squad breakdown is as follows: California (2), Montana (2), Oregon (2) and Washington (8).

Welcome Back to the CourtAfter suffering a knee injury in her junior season, Kirsten Brockman was forced to sit out her entire senior season of high school. She returned to the court in July and has been steadily improving ever since. With her injury behind her, she is expected to make an immediate impact and the Huskies coaches are calling her 'one of the strongest players we've ever seen.' Also cleared for play is redshirt freshman Sarah Keeler who tore her anterior cruciate ligament at an all-star camp during the summer of 2000. She had surgery prior to her freshman season at Washington and utilized her redshirt last year. Keeler, at 6-foot-4 who figures to be a key factor in replacing graduated senior LeAnn Sheets and her rebounding numbers.

Preseason RankingsVoted upon by the coaches of the Pac-10, Washington was tabbed to finish second in the conference race, behind only Stanford who garnered nine first-place votes. USC was the only other school to earn the voter's confidence with one first-place nod. This is the second year in a row that the Cardinal has been picked to win the conference race. For the Huskies, the second place pre-season pick in the coaches poll is their highest vote ever since the inception of the poll in 1998. The previous years have been as follows:2000-01: 6th (tied-UCLA) 1999-00: 6th1998-99: 4th

More PollsWashington also made its mark in the national preseason polls. The Huskies were picked to finish 13th in the country by Athlon, ninth by Slam Magazine and 20th by Lindy's.

Notes on the Pac-10 Postseason TournamentFor the first time ever, the Pac-10 Conference will hold a postseason tournament. Set for March 1-4 at McArthur Court in Eugene, Ore., the tournament will feature all 10 conference teams. The winner receives the Conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. The tournament bracket will be seeded according to the final conference standings, with the league champion earning the top seed. The team that finishes the regular season atop the Pac-10 standings, based on double round robin play, is the conference champion.

Women's Basketball Auction - Jan. 19The Washington women's basketball team is hosting an auction to help raise funds for its tour to Australia in June, 2002. The event, the first of its kind by a Husky team, will be held in conjunction with the Stanford game Jan. 19 at Bank of America Arena. Feature auction items to be included are Husky memorabilia, special event time with the Huskies, and other exciting travel and entertainment items.Date: Saturday, January 19, 2001When: Silent Auction- Pre-game 1:30am (tip-off 3 p.m.)Location: North Court, Bank of America Arena at Hec EdmundsonRegistration: There will be no registration for the silent auction. Aregistration fee of $25 is required for the Live Auction (dinnerprovided). Invitations will be mailed Dec. 15.To register, please contact Chris Miller in the UW Athletic Department at (206) 616-9280.

Washington's Tuite on NCAA Women's Basketball CommitteeMarie Tuite, senior associate athletic director at Washington, began her appointment on the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Committee Sept. 1, 2001. Tuite, in her seventh year at Washington, has joined the 10-member committee that is charged with the selection of teams and overall administration of the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship. She brings an extensive background in women's basketball to the committee. Last year Tuite, who oversees Olympic Sports at Washington, chaired the Pac-10 Ad Hoc Committee on Women's Basketball. The group was instrumental in the adoption of the Pac-10 Conference Women's Basketball Tournament that will begin in 2002. She currently chairs the Tournament Steering Committee that is assisting in the administration of the conference tournament. In addition, Tuite has served as the NCAA administrator at NCAA first and second round basketball championship sites. Current chair of the NCAA Basketball Committee is Maryalyce Jeremiah from California State University, Fullerton. Tuite joined the Husky staff after serving as the assistant director of championships for the NCAA since 1989. She was a liaison for the NCAA's sports committees in the administration and conduct of various championships. Prior to her tenure at the NCAA, she spent five years as an assistant athletic director at the University of California.

New HuskiesThree top girls basketball players have signed national letters of intent during the early signing period, to attend Washington next year. Erica Schelly, Angie Jones and Jill Bell will play for the Huskies beginning in the fall of 2002. As a 5-foot-11 guard, Schelly joins the Huskies from Fort Collins, Colo. (Poudre HS) as a NIKE All-American. She led the Impalas to the Sweet 16 of the Class 5A state tournament in each of her three basketball campaigns, along with a third place finish in the Northern Colorado league three straight years. Schelly garnered first team all-conference honors in 1998, 1999 and 2000, while also earning all-state honorable mention honors her last two seasons. Jones, a 5-foot-9 guard out of Seattle, Wash. (Holy Names Academy) led Holy Names to two consecutive Class 3A state appearances. While also helping her team win two Metro league championships in 1999 and 2000, Jones was invited to NIKE's Best in the West tournament and the Superstar Basketball Camp. She did not play basketball during her junior season after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament but returns for her senior year. Bell, a 6-foot-0 forward hailing from Bellevue, Wash., (Bellevue HS) earned honorable mention honors in the KingCo league her sophomore and junior seasons. She led the Wolverines to a first place finish in conference play all three years and to sixth place at the Class 3A state championship in 2001. Bell also excelled in track and field, claiming the top mark in the state's long jump two consecutive years.

Husky TalkHusky head coach June Daugherty can be heard every Monday night on 'Husky Talk' a half-hour call-in show featured on KOMO radio am 1000. Daugherty's segment, hosted by Steve Sandmeyer, runs from 6:30-7 p.m. each Monday. The show opens with a half hour stint with Husky men's coach Bob Bender and host Bob Rondeau from 6-6:30 p.m.